Newport Pier, What you didn't know-Kiyoko Nakatsui-

NEWPORT PIER

When we talk about Newport Pier today, images of beautiful beaches, surfers, people fishing, and walking about fill your head. There are restaurants, bars, and shops lining these pristine beaches. Making it a destination spot for those visiting Southern California. It didn't always look like this. The pier has a history that wasn't always as pretty.

Imagine a railroad chugging down the pier bringing tourists from Los Angeles to enjoy the beauty of Newport Beach. There were promises of beautiful sand beaches and clear blue water, but is that what awaited the visitors. Yes, and no. The beaches were beautiful and the ocean was a spectacular view, but there were crowds of tourists and soot covering everything. Although you want everyone to have access to these beautiful natural places, there has to be consideration for nature itself. All the people going to these beaches left trash and polluted the area. The train left oil, chemicals, and aerosols clouding the water and creating smog in the air.

railroad cars ran to the end of the pier to facilitate the trade that would help build Orange County. -David haldane, Los Angeles Times

We now understand the environmental implications of our actions, but this railroad helped to build Orange County's economy. The railroad facilitated trade between, at the time, a more agricultural Orange County and a more urban Los Angeles. Telling people that there use to be a railroad on the pier would be quite a shock, but now you know. Landscapes are constantly changing, but it is important to remember what use to be and the impact that it had.